As porous carbon materials, activated carbons having both macropores which are relatively large pores and micropores, such as particulate activated carbons and activated-carbon fibers; and fine carbons represented by carbon nanotubes and meso-porous carbons produced from meso-porous silica or zeolite template, are known.
Patent Document 1 describes a technique for obtaining porous carbon fibers by mixing a carbonizable material with an eliminable material to be fiberized, and then making the eliminable material disappear during carbonization. However, the carbonizable material and the eliminable material are a combination which forms a non-compatible system, and the mere addition of a compatibilizing agent cannot form continuous pores in the carbon fibers.
Patent Documents 2 and 3 show examples in which a carbon material which itself has a continuous porous structure introduced thereinto is produced by mixing a thermosetting resin with a thermoplastic resin, curing the thermosetting resin, subsequently removing the thermoplastic resin, followed by carbonization. However, these carbon materials merely have a continuous porous structure introduced thereinto and have not had sufficient electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, or strength.